Clemson’s Beer, Williams earn preseason honors

CLEMSON, S.C. – Junior first baseman/outfielder Seth Beer (Suwanee, Ga.) and senior catcher/infielder Chris Williams (Garden Grove, Calif.) were both named preseason All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball on Monday. Beer, a first-team pick as an outfielder, was also named preseason national player-of-the-year by Collegiate Baseball, while Williams was named a preseason second-team All-America catcher.

Beer is a two-time All-American and two-time USA Collegiate National Team member who is hitting .333 with 30 doubles, a triple, 34 homers, 123 RBIs, 108 runs and a .506 on-base percentage in 125 games over two seasons as a Tiger. In 2017, Beer was named a second-team All-American by NCBWA after hitting .298 with 16 homers, 53 RBIs and a .478 on-base percentage.

Williams is a career .253 hitter with 19 doubles, a triple, 22 homers, 89 RBIs and 63 runs in 106 games over two seasons. He was chosen in the 31st round of the 2017 draft by the Rays, but elected to return for his senior season in 2018. In 2017, Williams won Clemson’s Dedication Award for outstanding work in the strength-training room and batted .261 with 14 homers, 14 doubles and 51 RBIs in only 49 games (42 starts) while battling injuries.

Beer, Williams and the Tigers begin the 2018 season on Feb. 16 against William & Mary at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.